Fixies - fixed-gear bikes - pick up speed

Brian Richard, is one of the first bike messengers to use a "fixie" in SF in the early 90s. He is now the manager of the custom bike division at Mission Bicycle Company which specializes in fixed gear bikes in San Francisco, Calif. , on Tuesday, May 1st , 2012. less

Brian Richard, is one of the first bike messengers to use a "fixie" in SF in the early 90s. He is now the manager of the custom bike division at Mission Bicycle Company which specializes in fixed gear bikes in ... more

Photo: Jill Schneider, The Chronicle

Photo: Jill Schneider, The Chronicle

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Brian Richard, is one of the first bike messengers to use a "fixie" in SF in the early 90s. He is now the manager of the custom bike division at Mission Bicycle Company which specializes in fixed gear bikes in San Francisco, Calif. , on Tuesday, May 1st , 2012. less

Brian Richard, is one of the first bike messengers to use a "fixie" in SF in the early 90s. He is now the manager of the custom bike division at Mission Bicycle Company which specializes in fixed gear bikes in ... more

Photo: Jill Schneider, The Chronicle

Fixies - fixed-gear bikes - pick up speed

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Arash Guity can't stop pedaling. That's because the "fixie" bicycle he rides to work has no freewheel, which means there is no such thing as coasting. But Guity, a 34-year-old energy consultant, doesn't see that as a deterrent. He welcomes the challenge of negotiating the terrain on his daily trip from Potrero Hill to his office in Union Square. He's so attached to his mode of transportation that he also uses it in triathlons. "I get a lot of funny looks when I pass other triathletes on hills," he says.

Fixed-gear bikes, also known as track bikes or fixies, are the simplest, yet arguably the most elegant, form of the bicycle. Traditionally, they had no front or rear brake, no gears and none of the accompanying cables and wires. Born on the banked track of the velodrome, they've been raced since the late 19th century and used in every Olympic competition but one since 1896. When racers circle at 40 miles an hour, with banked turns and open courses, who needs brakes?

In a thoroughly modern event, the Red Bull Ride + Style fixed-gear bike competition, held last month in Justin Herman Plaza, pitted riders from all over the world against each other in track and freestyle events. Billed as "a collision of fixed-gear biking and urban contemporary art," it featured a "minidrome" and obstacle courses decorated by local artists. On one ramp, Hayward rider Josh Boothby executed three black flips, landing him first place in freestyle.

Adopted by bike messengers in the 1980s as an efficient means of transportation, fixies have become increasingly popular on city streets. Brian Richard, 43, started out on one in Boston, then brought it to San Francisco in the early '90s. He says he was one of the few messengers riding a fixed-gear bike back then. But they soon became popular among other messengers drawn to the easily maintained and nimble bikes.

"We were always in a hurry, weaving in and out of cars on busy streets, and the simple but quick steering design of the fixed-gear bike fit our job perfectly," Richard says.

Cultlike following

With the cultlike following of the fixie culture moving into the mainstream, you're just as likely to see an architect or energy consultant balancing at the traffic light as an artist or bike messenger. In fact, former messenger - but still fixie rider - Richard is now supervisor of the custom bike division at Mission Bicycle Co., a Valencia Street shop devoted to individually built bikes. He estimates that 10 percent of the bike riders in the Bay Area ride fixies.

The design of the bikes may be simple, but riding them is not. They can be pedaled both forward and backward. Since movement of the rear wheel is directly connected to the pedals, bike speed can be reduced only by pedaling slower, and stopped by reversing the pedals or skidding.

"Because the constant rotation of the pedals encourages you to have a better rhythm and flow while you ride, I feel that the bike is more of an extension of my body than I do with a geared bike," Guity says. Without the ability to coast or stop quickly, riders must anticipate their moves well in advance, relying on a complex technique of leaning forward onto the handlebars and skidding the back wheel.

Like skateboarding or other counterculture activities, fixed-gear biking is often considered a fringe and dangerous sport. When someone is new to a fixie, Richard stresses that they not go brakeless. A front brake is standard on all fixed-gear bikes sold at Mission Bicycle. The slight loss in aesthetics or "street cred" with the addition of a front brake is more than offset by the increase in safety, he says. "Knowing the ability of the bike and rider is a big part of riding safely on busy streets."

While the classic lugged, steel track bikes originally adopted by the bike messengers still have panache, many of the modern fixed-gear bikes are outfitted with flashy designs and customized statements. "Our bikes were our lives in every way imaginable. They represented us and reflected who we were as individuals. This drove us to constantly seek out new parts and ways to make a bike truly your own," Richard says. "We really try to re-create this through our process of customization."

Basic frame

Mission Bicycle has a signature custom frame that retains the unique characteristics of a track bike. All the bikes start with the same basic frame, whether they are fixies or more traditional bikes with different gearing options. On average, the made-to-order bikes cost around $1,000 and are built from the ground up in 10 hours. By all accounts, business has been good since the shop opened in 2009.

The only thing harder to stop than fixed-gear bikes might be their rise in popularity. Next time you walk by your neighborhood coffee shop, take a closer look at the bikes locked outside. You're sure to notice a fixie or two among them.